1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to sea anchors, drogue chutes, boat sails and the like and particularly to a method for simply constructing such structures wherein the stretching characteristics of a fabric main body panel are utilized to reduce stresses placed on seams which secure the bail ropes to the panels by placing bail ropes so as to extend from the corners of the body toward the center thereof so that all stresses placed upon the bail ropes during deployment of the apparatus will be transmitted along the bail ropes and the stitches to the material which is more yieldable along its diagonal seams.
2. History of the Invention
Over the years there have been many attempts to develop safe, low cost, and easy to deploy sea anchors which could be used especially with smaller craft including sailboats, small fishing boats, motorboats and the like. Traditionally, most sea anchors or drogues have been very large and bulky structures designed for use with larger ships and oftentime consisted of a plurality of complicated components which not only presented problems in deployment but also created storage problems aboard ship.
Due to the unavailability of low cost sea anchors or drogues, many small craft owners have simply not obtained such items for use with their vessels. Over the years there have been many tragic accidents and deaths caused which could have been avoided if the proper safety equipment was maintained aboard smaller craft to steady such craft and prevent undue drifting and proper alignment during storms and heavy seas.
The problem is not unique to small craft owners and operators in any one part of the world. In underdeveloped countries where fishing fleets primarily consist of small motorized craft or wind powered craft the failure to have proper safety equipment results in undue risks. These undue risks could be easily avoided if it were possible to develop low cost sea anchors which could be easily deployed, sturdy during use and stored in a minimal amount of storage space.
In an effort to make sea anchor structures more readily compactible, there were various attempts to design collapsible frameworks for carrying the main flexible cloth body of the anchor. Oftentimes these frameworks resulted in complicated structures which necessitated increased cost and in themselves presented storage problems. In addition to making collapsing frames for sea anchors, other prior art developments include reinforced bracing and fabric panel edge seaming to strengthen the main body portion of the sea anchor in order to increase its strength and prevent the sea anchor from failing due to the large forces which are often encountered especially during deployment of a sea anchor in heavy seas. Many of these prior art structures, however, have been bulky making them difficult to deploy and to store. Further, the cost of manufacturing such sea anchors has made their use somewhat prohibitive. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,646 to Muyer, a flexible sea anchor structure is disclosed which permits the sea anchor panel to be folded during nonuse. The reinforcing for the sea anchor panel is provided by a rope frame that surrounds the panel and is secured thereto by rolled or piped edges. In order to increase the strength of the panel of the anchor, reinforcing gussets and clamps had to be provided adjacent the edge or corner portion thereof. The additional structure for reinforcement thereby necessitates additional labor, increased costs, and further contributes to the bulkiness of the resultant sea anchor.
Other examples of the prior art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 60,287 to Upton; 65,625 to Wheeler; 129,878 to Wilson et al.; 1,012,090 to Miller; and 2,818,042 to Manhart.